Furniture construction



Patented July 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,353,356 FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Arthur J'. OLeary, Longmeadow, Mass.

Application October 10, 1942, Serial No. 461,554

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture and is directed more particularly to improvements in supporting means for the upholstered seat and back sections of furniture.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to novel supporting means for the up holstered sections or the upholstering of furniture that is characterized by its yieldability or resiliency as well as its simplicity and low cost.

The novel features of the invention are adapted for broad application in connection with various types of furniture wherefor it is not to be construed as being confined to the embodiment hereinafter shown and described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a partial elevational view of a couch frame embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional plan view of the couch frame shown in Fig. 1 on a line immediately above the horizontal frame members;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged partial plan and front elevational views respectively showing the connection between one of the yielding supporting members to one of the frame rail members.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be more fully described.

Front and rear longitudinal frame rails 2 and 4 are secured to end rails such as 6 so as to provide a frame which may be supported by feet such as 5. This frame constitutes the seat section of the couch. The usual end arms 8 extend upwardly from the frame and on their rear ends they carry a rear upper longitudinal rail I2. A lower rear rail Ill extends between the end arms.

One or more uprights, such as H, extends between the upper rail l2 and rear frame rail 4. Transverse rails, such as l5, extend between the front and rear rails 2 and 4. Other uprights l4 extend between the members Ill and I2.

The members described may take any form or shape desired in order to provide the form of furniture desired and are secured together in any suitable manner to provide a strong rigid structure which carries upholstering or upholstered sections.

It is usual to provide upholstering or upholstery sections to the seat frame formed by the members 2, 4 and 6 and to the back section including the members In and I2. This invention is not concerned with the type or form of upholstering but with resilient or yieldable supporting means therefor.

i said members.

To that end there are provided a' plurality of yieldable or resilient members 6 for the seat section and similar members l8 for the back section.

These members 16 and I8 may be made from relatively thin wood, metal or the like of such a nature as to be yieldable or resilient and they are preferably bowed more or less, as shown in Fig. 3. The opposite ends of the members l8 and I8 are preferably provided with slots such as 20 shown in Fig. 4.

The members I8 extend from the rail l2 to the rail l0, the upper ends thereof bearing on the rail l2 and the lower ends thereof bearing on an upwardly extending member I 2' formed on the rail 10 as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. The members I6 extend between and have opposite ends bearing on the front and rear rails 2 and 4.

Securing members 22 are provided that extend through the slots 20 of the supporting members into the rails. These hold the members l6 and I8 against displacement but being in the slots permit the desired yielding or flexing of The slots 20 and members 22 may be arranged to limit the flexing of the members should the same be desired.

Longitudinal supplemental supporting members 24 are provided. The endmost members have outer ends resting on rails 6 with inner ends on members l5 while intermediate members 24 have their ends on the endmost members 24. The ends of the members 24 are slotted after the manner already described in connection with members it and I8 in which slots are members 22 such as used with said members l6 and I8.

These members 24 may be yieldable and function, when members l6 are sufiiciently depressed to bear thereon, to yieldingly support the members l6 and cooperate therewith to provide a yieldable resilient supporting structure.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

ends resting thereon provided with slots in said ends adapted to be engaged by the first-named yieldable members as they yield, and securing members on said transverse frame members disposed in said slots whereby the ends of said other yieldable members may move on said transverse rails when they are acted upon by the firstnamed yieldable members.

2. Furniture construction comprising in combination, forward and rear longitudinal rail members and end and intermediate transverse rail members secured thereto and spacing: them apart to provide a frame, spaced yieldable transverse bowed supporting members provided with slots in its opposite ends and having said opposite ends resting on the longitudinal rail members, securing members fixed to said longitudinal rail members disposed in said slots holding said spaced yieldable members in spaced relation on the rails and permitting movements of the ends thereof on said rail members as the yield able members yield, a set of separate longitudinally extending supplemental yieldable members extending between the end and intermediate transverse rail members and spaced below said spaced transverse yieldable members separate therefrom and normally out of contact therewith with one end of a member on a frame end rail and its other end and an end of an adjacent supplemental member in superposed relation on a frame intermediate rail member, the ends of said longitudinally extending members provided with slots, and securing members carried by said end and intermediate rail members disposed in said slots permitting movements of the ends of the longitudinally extending supplemental members, the first-named supporting members being yieldable downwardly and thesupplemental members therebelow adapted to yield downwardly and arranged and adapted to yieldingly supportthe said first-named supporting members when engaged thereby.

ARTHUR J. OLEARY. 

